Page 77 of Yours for the Season
“These last four days with the Malik family ... It’s made me realize how much I missed out on that part of my life, on my own family. I want to build something good, with Rob, Barb, and Cal.” He pulled her toward him, until Sameera was cradled in his arms, his clean scent enveloping her. “And with you. I’ll always be grateful to you for making me realize what I was missing.”
“What will you do while you’re in Wolf Run?” she asked, her voice muffled against his hard chest.
“I hear Hilda is hiring,” Tom said, but her laugh was muted. She was trying hard not to cry. He pulled back to look into her face, searching for something. “I’ll work on my recipes. I’ll make more videos, though they won’t be as good without you.”
“What about the TV hosting gig?” she asked.
Tom shrugged. “I know they wanted to start filming in the new year. Either they’ll wait for me, or they won’t. I’ll be fine no matter what. I know that now. The first person I’ll call when I’m back in Atlanta will be you.”
“I’ll pick up that call,” she said, and it was a promise. They returned to the sitting room, hand in hand, to make the most of their first, and likely last, Christmas morning together.
Tom’s and Sameera’s families were waiting for them; it was finally time to exchange presents.
Tahsin volunteered to start—she loved to give gifts, and she watched Barb’s face when she opened the parcel she had wrapped carefully last night. Their host’s polite smile transformed to one of real delight when she pulled the embroidered shawl from the box.
“I saw the way you admired our Christmas tree, with its vibrant dopatta and Indian jewelry,” Tahsin said. “I remembered that I brought another shawl with me. It used to belong to my mother. She bought it when she visited Kashmir.”
Barb hugged Tahsin tightly. “I will treasure this. Thank you for brightening our holiday celebration this year.”
Naveed gifted Rob a ceramic mug with a large eggplant painted on it. “To remind you of your favorite dish,” he said proudly. “The girl at the Christmas market said it was her top seller, though usually women buy it.” Esa stifled a laugh, and Sameera nudged him.
Rob gave Esa one of his old cameras, with a few rolls of film and a promise to teach him how to take pictures old-school.
Then Rob presented Tom with a box that contained his mother’s old recipe book. “Found it when we were clearing out the attic. I thought you might like to experiment. She would have loved seeing you in the kitchen.” Tom was touched, and the men hugged. They were both a bit stiff and awkward, but Sameera knew they would get better with practice.
Esa gave everyone their own novelty pranks, purchased from a shop on Main Street. There was a trick-card pack for Naveed, a splashing flower boutonniere for Tahsin, an animatronic fish for Rob, a can of jelly beans that exploded with springing toy snakes when opened for Tom, and a whoopee cushion for Barb, because you could never go wrong with a classic. For each of his sisters, he had bought silk endless handkerchiefs.
Sameera had bought handcrafted chocolates for their hosts, and an embroidered apron for Tom she had picked up from a specialty store on Main Street. “I didn’t have time for anything fancy,” she explained when he opened the box. The apron hadChai Kingembroidered across the front, and she showed him her matching one withChai Queen. He was delighted.
He brought his own gift out shyly, handing her a tiny box. Her eyes flew to his.
“It’s not a ring,” he said with a smile. “But it did belong to my mother.”
Sameera opened the box and gasped. Inside was a beautifully handcrafted silver snowflake locket. She traced the crystals along the edge. It was delicate and pretty, and she was instantly in love.
“Something to remember me by,” Tom said softly. Around them, their family was quiet, watching the moment unfold.
“You’re hard to forget,” Sameera said, and she kissed his cheek in thanks. Her parents glanced at each other as Sameera carefully pocketed the jewelry box and started to pick up wrapping paper from the floor.
“See? I told you they weren’t faking it,” Barb murmured to Rob. Everyone looked at each other and started to laugh.
“Our flight leaves in a few hours. We need to pack,” Sameera announced.
The Malik family’s brush with Christmas was finally coming to an end.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Their procession back to the airport was a reversal of their journey to Cooke Place only a few days earlier. Sameera turned around to watch the big house disappear behind her before settling beside Tom. His hand was warm in hers, and he squeezed it, once.
When she checked her phone, she saw that Bee had left several text messages.
What is happening up there?
Girl, are you leaving me on read??
I’ll pull some favors at work. We can still salvage this!
Just let me know you’re okay.
